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    Four-Four-Two
    Four-Four-Two
    Four-Four-Two
    Audiobook6 hours

    Four-Four-Two

    Written by Dean Hughes

    Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of Soldier Boys and Search and Destroy comes a thought-provoking, action-packed story based on the little-known history of the Japanese Americans who fought with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Yuki Nakahara is an American. But it's the start of World War II, and America doesn't see it that way. Like many other Japanese Americans, Yuki and his family have been forced into an internment camp in the Utah desert. But Yuki isn't willing to sit back and accept this injustice-it's his country too, and he's going to prove it by enlisting in the army to fight for the Allies. When Yuki and his friend Shig ship out, they aren't prepared for the experiences they'll encounter as members of the "Four-Four-Two," a segregated regiment made up entirely of Japanese-American soldiers. Before Yuki returns home-if he returns home-he'll come face to face with persistent prejudices, grueling combat he never imagined, and friendships deeper than he knew possible.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 8, 2016
    ISBN9781501928260
    Author

    Dean Hughes

    Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, Search and Destroy, and Four-Four-Two. His novel Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and nine grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.

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    Reviews for Four-Four-Two

    4/5

    20 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a historical fiction novel about World War II and the 442nd Battalion.In February of 1942, all Japanese-Americans living on the west coast were relocated to internment camps because they were assumed to be loyal to Japan. They were called Japs, a derogative term for Japanese. First generation Japanese were not even allowed to be citizens. Second generation Japanese were American citizens but treated badly. Like other Americans, they wanted to fight in the war, defending America. They were only allowed to fight in Europe because it was assumed they would fight for the Japanese if sent to the Pacific. This novel is a fictionalized account of what it was like to serve in Europe as a Japanese-American.Yuki and Shig are best friends, belonging in the same camp when they decide to enlist in order to fight for America and show that the Japanese are loyal to America. They are stationed in Italy. They quickly learn that fighting is not as they imagined. They wanted to come home with medals and brag about what they did. Now they know that it’s not glorious or something to brag about. War is scary with death next to each person. Their group, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, become the most famous in the war. They could accomplish what no one group could, however, it cost them many lives. I found this novel a very true representation of war. It’s not beautiful: “It’s the worst thing human beings have thought up.” The visions of the past make the future difficult to see. The novel is also appropriate for middle school to show that violence and war are not something to brag about or wish for. It brought tears to my eyes because this is real violence, not fake that we read in novels, as this is a true historical account with fictional characters. It’s also a look at prejudice, being judged by your family. It’s a 2018 Lone Star selection and deserves to be so honored.
    • 4/5
      Four-Four-Two by Dean Hughes brings to life a time in history that isn't often featured in young adult literature. While World War 2 books are very common, this one focuses on the experience of Japanese Americans, specifically the young soldiers who fought for America during the war. Yuki and his friend Shig join the army after being forced into an internment camp early in the book. They are assigned to the 442, a regiment made up entirely of Japanese Americans. The story of their wartime experience is well told, not hiding the brutality of war from the reader. The author's thorough research of the time period and population featured in the novel is evident as he shares quite a bit of detail about the 442 and the soldiers. I listened to this book and the narrator did a commendable job, it was very easy to listen to. This is a great addition to the historical fiction section of any bookstore or library. I received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review through the Early Reviewers program.
    • 4/5
      It may not be a literary masterpiece but Dean Hughes’ newest young adult novel tells a story that bears repeating again and again. The men of the 442nd Regimental Combat team, made up almost entirely of soldiers of Japanese ancestry, fought heroically against the Germans in World War II. They became the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare, earning, among other things, twenty-one Medals of Honor and eight Presidential Unit Citations. 9,486 Purple Hearts were awarded to the 14,000 soldiers who served in the unit. The unit’s Combat Casualty Rate was an unimaginable 314 percent. Hughes tells the story of the 4-4-2, as its soldiers called it, through the eyes of two friends, Yuki and Shig who, leaving their families behind in internment camps, enlisted in the Army to show their country that they were as much loyal Americans as anyone. They were soon shipped off to Europe to fight the Germans (the Nisei troops were never trusted to fight the Japanese). As they fought their way up the Italian Peninsula, through France and into Germany their encounters with the enemy became more frequent and also more deadly. Early on in the war I felt that the story was a little too pristine to be a convincing account of men at war. It seemed to lack the gritty, life-is-nasty-brutish-and-short sense that one expects when all traces of humanity is stripped away. But Hughes does do an excellent job of describing the hardships encountered by the soldiers and as the war progresses it becomes apparent how much of a toll the constant exposure to cold, exhaustion and brutality is taking on them. Bottom line: I was concerned that the author would miss the mark in telling the story of this unit by either portraying their tale as something glorious and heroic, giving young readers a false impression of war, or he would underplay the immense suffering and sacrifice endured by these men who had to fight harder than anyone else just to be considered as Americans. There is an inscription on a monument in Arlington Cemetery that, while not referring to the men of the 4-4-2, beautifully captures their sense of dedication. Not for fame or reward, Not for place or for rankNot lured by ambition or goaded by necessityBut in simple obedience to duty as they understood itThese men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all-and died. The review copy of Four-Four-Two that I received was an audiobook read by Kirby Heyborne, (Al Capone Does My Shirts, Hollow City). As always, Heyborne does an excellent job of portraying a young narrator. * The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher and LibraryThing in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending. *1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
    • 4/5
      As a young adult Yuki attends high school and helps out with his family farm in California. WWII fears and government policy force Yuki and his family to an interment camp in Utah. His father is unjustly placed in prison. When he becomes an adult, Yuki volunteers to fight, against his father's wishes. Yuki trains and fights with Regiment 442, a segregated group of Japanese American soldiers that faces war in Europe. Yuki is driven by honor, duty, and his comrades, as well as a strong desire to prove himself to white Americans. This realistic historical novel explores motivations, friendship, the norms of war.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of an 18-year-old farm boy named Yuki Nakahara from a Japanese family. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese-American families from certain areas were sent off to internment camps, and Yuki and his family were among them. He considered himself an American through-and-through, and had never even been to Japan in his life, but he was regarded with much suspicion by the masses because of his race. He felt that he needed to "prove himself an American", and enlisted in the army with his best friend Shig, his head full of the glamour of war and big with ideas of himself. They were put in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (called the "4-4-2" by those in it who spoke Pidgin English), a regiment made entirely of segregated Japanese-Americans. This regiment was at first not thought "good enough" to fight alongside of white people, but the soldiers soon proved themselves better than most, by taking huge risks nobody else took. When the higher-ups saw this, they made the 4-4-2 the "throw-away" group, sending them out on impossible missions that nobody in their right mind would want to be a part of. But besides being a war story, this is also a coming-of-age tale, with the boyish Yuki being forced to be a man. It is also a bit of a romance, as he writes home to the girl he left behind, the girl he'd marry... if he survived. This is the absolute best audiobook I have ever listened to! I love it. The story is terrific, and the narrator (Kirby Heyborne) delivers it in such a powerful, heart-felt way. Heyborne really throws himself into each and every part, shouting when they shout, whispering when they whisper, being out of breath when they are, talking in girl's voices for the girls, and speaking accents (not always very good ones, but kudos for trying!) ranging from German, to Japanese, to Southern, to New York, to Hawaiian Pidgin English. Without the use of sound effects, you can hear and feel the grenades exploding and the guns firing, just from Heyborne's passionate voice.
    • 1/5
      Well done fictional memoir about the men of a highly decorated WW2 infantry combat team. Highlights the injustice of the US actions against Japanese American citizens and how their young men responded. Hughes crates an interesting story of two of these enlistees who join, tain and go to wear succeed in bringing honor to there families. Nicely narrated to sustain pace and flow of this small but needed bit of our history.